Microsoft Tells Windows 11 Users
“Update or Else”; Google Offers Free Dark Web Monitoring; Windows 11’s July Patch Tuesday Update Fixes Bugs, Brings Improvements & an Ad; New Ransomware Scam Threatens with Phone Calls… and more
Every day we scan the tech world for interesting news in the world of technology and sometimes from outside the world of technology. Every Wednesday, we feature news articles that grabbed our attention over the past week. We hope you find this week’s ‘Wednesday Newsbytes’ informative and interesting!
Microsoft gives Windows 11 users a 3-month notice: upgrade to 23H2 now, or face the consequences
Microsoft has just warned Windows 11 users that if they’re not on the latest version of the OS, namely 23H2, then their installation will soon be out of support – meaning vital security updates will no longer be provided.
In a 90-day reminder – which as the name suggests, comes three months in advance of support being dropped – Microsoft has let Windows 11 Home and Pro users know that soon enough, they’ll no longer be safe to stay on Windows 11 22H2. The exact date to mark in your calendar as the official end of support is October 8, 2024.
Furthermore, business (or education) users still on 21H2 (the first ever incarnation of Windows 11) will also be out of support (that deadline already passed for consumers, in case you were wondering).
In short, it’s Windows 23H2 or the highway, come October 2024…
Google is giving everyone free dark web monitoring. Here’s how to use it
Soon you’ll be able to set up alerts from Google to get notified when your personal information gets shared on the dark web.
As the number of high-profile data breaches continues to grow, it’s getting harder and harder to keep track of how widely your personal information is spreading on the dark web, the shadowy corners of the Internet known for illicit activities.
Google, though, is giving people a new line of defense. The company has announced it will offer free dark web monitoring to all consumer account holders starting at the end of this month. That will help consumers learn if details like their address, phone number, or email were found among data dumps that hackers sell or release via the dark web.
Google previously offered this service solely to those with a Google One membership but, in an update Tuesday, announced the decision to offer it free to all users.
To access the monitoring, once it goes live.
Windows 11’s July Patch Tuesday update squashes bugs, brings improvements, and adds an ad to your PC
The latest Windows 11 update includes plenty of bug fixes and improvements, but it also adds an ad to the operating system.
It’s the second Tuesday of July, which means it’s time for another round of Patch Tuesday updates for Windows 11. Microsoft rolled out the KB5040442 update today, which includes several bug fixes, improvements, and a few new features. You can install the update through the Windows 11 Settings app or through the Microsoft Update Catalog.
Among the new features is a controversial addition: an ad for Game Pass in the Settings app. Those who play games on their PC will see an advertisement for Game Pass, while those who do not game should not see the ad. The update also adds support for creating 7-Zip and Tape Archive files using the context menu.
Windows 11 version 22H2 reaches its end of service on October 8, 2024. After that cutoff, you’ll need to update your PC to a newer version of Windows to continue to receive updates.
In addition to the security updates that are listed below, Windows 11 version 23H2 and Windows 11 version 22H2 will receive all the improvements from the KB5039302 update.
This new ransomware scam will hassle you with phone calls until you pay up
Victims threatened with repeated phone calls
A new ransomware group has been discovered harassing its victims on the phone until they pay up.
A report from anti-ransomware company, Halycon said that Volcano Demon was seen going after “several” targets in the last couple of weeks, deploying a new encryptor called LukaLocker.
Its method is relatively simple – the threat actor will first find a way into the target network, map it out, and then exfiltrate as many sensitive files as they can. Then, they will deploy the encryptor, lock down the files and entire systems, and then demand payment in cryptocurrency in exchange for the decryption key, and for keeping the files for themselves.
No data leak site
LukaLocker will add encrypted files the .nba file extension. It works on both Windows and Linux devices, it was said. The encryptor was also relatively good at hiding its tracks. Since it clears logs prior to exploitation, cybersecurity researchers cannot conduct a full forensic evaluation.
The victims having limited logging and monitoring solutions installed didn’t help, either. Finally, LukaLocker can disable the processes linked to most popular antivirus and anti-malware solutions.
While all of this is relatively similar to what other ransomware actors are doing, there is one key difference – Volcano Demon does not have a dedicated data leak site. Instead, it will call the leadership of the victim company on the phone to try and negotiate a payment. All calls come from an unidentified caller-ID numbers and can, the researchers stress, be threatening in both tone and expectations…
Google collects data to target ads for you, but the amount of personal details it stores is pretty shocking.
Our mobile phones have become our lifelines. They have made our lives easier as we carry them everywhere and do literally anything on them. However, these merits are accompanied by a lot of problems. While getting hacked is one of the biggest demerits of owning a mobile phone, it is not the only one. Our personal details being stored and used by big tech firms is another problem. Come to think about it, how many times have you agreed to an app’s terms and conditions without reading? Demonstrating this issue, a woman, who goes by @leakalache on TikTok, revealed how to find out the amount of data Google knows about you.
The video starts with the text layover “Everything Google knows about you.” The woman then types “Ads settings Google” into the Google search engine and clicks on the top link “Sign In – Google Accounts – Ads Settings,” which takes her to the official Google Ad Settings page. She shows that she has her ad personalization set to “On,” underneath which the website explains how ads are personalized. “Ads are based on personal info you’ve added to your Google account, data from advertisers that partner with Google, and Google’s estimation of your interests,” read the brief explanation.
As the clip progresses, the woman scrolls down the ads page. To her surprise, there is a long list of her details and interests. She keeps on scrolling through the never-ending list with the text layover “Omg.” The list shows very specific information about her like her age, gender, and even the languages she speaks. As the video progresses, the screen displays details like “18-24-years-old, female, three languages including Arabic” and a range of what appear to be ‘interests’ in alphabetical order, including architecture, auctions, audio equipment, autos, vehicles, and bedding….
Thanks for reading this week’s Wednesday Newbytes. We hope these articles were informative, interesting, fun, and helpful. Darcy & TC
I get an OOPS! and Page Not Found when I click the link for “Good”.
Hi Pam. I’m sorry, the link is now fixed on the page and in the article. You can read the article here.
Thank you! 🤗
Peeps, the article about the new ransomeware has nothin to add when you click the link.
And the one about funding you Google information leads to a dead link.
Thought I’d let you know
C
Both the article’s Headline and the link at the end work just fine. It goes to TechRadar PRO.
Regarding “Update or Else”, wouldn’t OPatch help? It seems they(MS) might have hooked, unless there’s away to get around this. Maybe with OPatch.
Read our article on 0Patch here.
Wouldn’t OPatch help?
Uwe, did you miss our article on 0Patch here?
I looked at the OPatch article. I guess that it is only valid for fixing Windows 10. I thought It might work with window 11. Maybe the OPatch people might figure out a way to work with Windows 11 issues.
Uwe
0Patch doesn’t fix anything, it simply issues security patches for Windows 10 after Microsoft ends support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025 making Windows 10 safe to use passed its end of support date (according to 0Patch. It will not issue updates that include new features.
Regarding the article “Update or Else”, wouldn’t OPatch help?